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Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Introspective

A few days ago, I asked my students
at the Suzhou International Foreign Language School in Suzhou, China to
watch the third Presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald
Trump. I was very curious to see their reaction because such political
debates are rare in China.

My students were impressed with the fact that a woman
may soon hold the highest elected office in America. Many of my students
commented that there may never be a woman president in China. They
stated that it would be near impossible for a woman to be even
considered for that high an honor in their country’s one party system.

None of my students were impressed with Donald Trump.
They feel he was insulting during the three debates and not very
polished as a politician.

Some of my students are under the opinion that our two
presidential candidates lack moral leadership and they seem to be
degrading the American political process. A prevailing sentiment among
most of my students is that Americans are being forced to vote for the
candidate they feel is the less of the two evils.

What is interesting is that here in China the Chinese
government regularly criticizes U.S. presidential elections to
legitimize its one-party system. My students seem to be echoing what is
being said in China’s mainstream media.

The scandals and intense competition between Hillary
Clinton and Donald Trump are now the focal points for the Chinese media.
Some of my students feel that the American political process especially
in the 2016 presidential race is making America look weak due to its
lack of moral standing in the world.

Many Chinese commentators viewed the three presidential
debates between our two White-house contenders, Hillary Clinton, and
Donald Trump as the nastiest debates in modern US history. They reflect
the decay of our American political system and the dumbing down of our
American society.

The Chinese media is using this election year to force
the Chinese people to rethink the value of the democratic process. The
media here in China is portraying America as extremely self-confident
but arrogant in its preaching for a democratic world order. Most people
here view the American political process as dysfunctional. They point
out that the 2016 presidential election is highlighting the chaotic
defects within our American electoral process.

The Chinese news agencies are also reporting that money
and party elites can and have manipulated the American presidential
elections. They also point out that regardless of whether Trump wins or
loses, he has irreversibly damaged US democracy and our country’s
standing in the world. In other words, nations throughout the world will
have a hard time taking America seriously.

The debates became a platform for personal attacks
rather than substance or addressing the serous issues facing our
country.

The Chinese media has become very effective in
portraying the American political process as a race to the bottom with a
systemic moral decay. “The 2016 presidential election has made one
thing clear,” one government official was quoted as saying, “the U.S.
needs political reform.” The comment mirrors our American sentiment
advocating for political reform in China.

There are still many people, in China, that would like
to see their country become more democratic and open to a multiparty
system. That growing sentiment is what the Chinese Government fears the
most. The Government in China is using our 2016 Presidential election as
a means of propaganda to curb the growing democratic enthusiasm among
the Chinese people.

America is not a perfect country, Donald Trump, and
Hillary Clinton are flawed individuals but our democracy will always be
the best form of government.

America was and still is a great country, a beacon of
hope, and a land of great opportunity. If that were not the case,
immigrants, from across the globe would not be coming to America to
fulfill their dreams for a better life and future. There is still room
for reform in America but democracy will always be the cornerstone to
our country’s greatness.

The 2016 presidential election is truly an historical
event because, in my opinion, on November the 8th America will elect its
first woman president.

What kind of leader will our first woman President be?

Only time will tell …….
Always with love from Suzhou, China
Thomas F O’Neill